John McCrae's Grave at Wimereux Cemetery, 1925
Black and white photo of John McCrae's wooden cross grave marker with a metal plaque on it. In the background there are several rows of cross grave markers.
Courtesy of Guelph Museums, McCrae House, M1996X.12.2
Carpé Diem - Seize the Day! Your Message for the week, arriving in your life when you need it most!
From the desk of Florence Rita Rickards, Certified Transformational Dreambuilder Coach, Certified Life Mastery Consultant and Certified Life Success Consultant
For November 11, 2022
Remembrance Day...
We Must Never Forget
Hello, Friend!
Perhaps you are a veteran, or know one. Perhaps a member of your family is a veteran. Today is a very special day...a day to remember and to honor those who fought and gave the ultimate sacrifice for their fellow human, and to appreciate and honor all of those who fought and came home and had to adjust to civilian life after the war. It is also a day to honor and appreciate all those who continue to serve today! Today is also a day to honor and appreciate all of the loved ones and familes of those who have served and those who continue to serve.
The following is a poem myself and many others learned in grade school, "In Flanders Fields". It was "written during the First World War by Canadian physician Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae. He was inspired to write it on May 3, 1915, after presiding over the funeral of friend and fellow soldier Lieutenant Alexis Helmer, who died in the Second Battle of Ypres. According to legend, fellow soldiers retrieved the poem after McCrae, initially dissatisfied with his work, discarded it. "In Flanders Fields" was first published on December 8 of that year in the London magazine Punch." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_Flanders_Fields However, McCrae’s name did not appear with the poem, and the poem’s placement was unfortunate — tucked into the bottom corner of the left-hand page. However, the public noticed the poem and it was soon being memorized, copied into letters, set to music and translated into multiple languages. The poem was also used to raise $400 million for the war effort.
In Flanders Fields In Flanders Fields, the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved and were loved, and now we lie, In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders fields.
"By January 1918, McCrae had provided medical care for troops in the British Expeditionary Force for more than three long years. This dedicated service was noticed, and McCrae was appointed as the consultant physician to the First British Army — the first Canadian to be named to the position. McCrae, however, would never take on his new tasks. Weary and weakened, he was susceptible to pneumonia — a condition that killed many troops during the First World War. On 23 January 1918, he became ill. On 28 January, McCrae died of pneumonia and meningitis at the No. 14 British General Hospital in Wimereux, France. He was 45 years old." https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en
We must never forget!
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